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B.J. Barnes and the Buccaneer defense shut out the Arcanum offense.
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September 27, 2003 – ARCANUM | game stats |
Two unbeaten teams, conference championship aspirations and a 38-game winning streak were on the line as Covington and Arcanum took to the field Friday night in front of a packed house. The lead-up to the game was as intense as the game itself. Message boards were packed with interest, which gave the game a level of intensity that resembled a playoff atmosphere.
With kick-off time to begin at 7:30 Friday night, the game was halted for two hours because of weather. Arcanum finally kicked off to the Buccs at 9:30 pm and they managed to get a little over 3 quarters of play in before play was called again and rescheduled to presume Saturday at 3:00 pm.
It took two days to get the game in and when it was all said and done, the Buccs walked off of the field with a 21-0 victory and their 39th straight regular season win.
"This was a big, big win for us," said a delighted Covington coach Kevin Finfrock. "We really came ready to play and played very well. The delay was a distraction for both teams, but our kids were focused on what they had to do. This shows the maturity of these kids. They approached the game in a professional manner and never let the delays affect their focus."
Coach Finfrock attributes the Buccaneer' success to the leadership of the senior class, which led the way to a convincing win over the highly respected Trojans.
"These kids are on a mission this year," continued coach Finfrock. "They want to accomplish some things. Our seniors in particular are setting the example and leading the way. All of the kids are stepping up and getting the job done."
The first quarter was a battle of defenses as neither team could establish any offensive consistency. Covington did managed to drive inside the Arcanum 20, but the Trojans killed the drive by stepping in front of a Brady Reck pass intended for Gene Studebaker.
All year the Buccs have had success running the football with Matt McCord racking up chunks of yardage. Arcanum managed to take the run away from the Buccs and held McCord to just 45 yards on the game.
Needing a spark, the Buccs turned to their senior quarterback, Brady Reck and senior wide receiver, Dusty Rhoades. Reck connected with Rhoades on a quick out pattern towards the sidelines. Rhoades made the first defender miss, picked up a key block from Ross Mohler and outran the rest of the Trojan defense for a 75-yard touchdown.
"That was a big time play Dusty made," complemented coach Finfrock. "It was a nice catch and then he made a nice move to get into the open. He also put on a display of speed there to get into the endzone. That was a really big play for us."
Covington struck again before the half as Reck engineered another drive with his arm. Mixing passes to McCord, Mohler and Jared Hague, the Buccs reached the Arcanum 5-yard line. Reck then hit Hague over the middle for the score and the Buccs held a 14-0 lead at the half.
After a scoreless third period lightening put a stop in the action with 6:08 to go in the game. The teams resumed play Saturday at 3:00 pm and the Buccs put the finishing touches on an impressive win.
After failing to move the ball on their first possession of day two, the Buccs put the game away with 3:37 to go in the game. Matt McCord broke free to the outside and ran over a Trojan defender to get into the endzone from 16 yards out.
Covington moved into scoring position again with under a minute to go, but elected to run out the clock.
Covington takes control of the CCC as they remain the only unbeaten team in the conference at 6-0 overall and 5-0 in the CCC. Arcanum drops to 5-1 and 4-1 in the CCC.
The Buccs host Mississinawa Valley next Friday.
